Title: Kirishima Miyama Must Die

Summary: What do you get when you combine three broken-hearted ex-girlfriends, an enigmatic two-timing playboy, and a supposed femme fatale (read: virgin) hired to take some sweet, sweet revenge?

Pairings: Yoshiono Somei/Kirishima Miyama

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Author's Notes: Omamori are Japanese good luck charms found in Shinto or Buddhist temples. There's many different kinds, including the one for studying that Yoshino has hanging off her mobile phone. Also, I was originally going to have less yakuza involvement in this, but it seems like the characters have their own thoughts about that so... here ya go!

Chapter 2

Mess With My Head

He let her go immediately after getting past the bouncer, which was good because she didn't think she could have endured it much longer. The electric shock she had experienced after his sudden encroachment on her personal space was still buzzing under her skin.

Yoshino did not like that at all.

They sat adjacent to each other now in one of the private booths labeled VIP. She gingerly perched on the plastic booth and tried not to think about the stickiness of everything she touched.

"First day?" Kirishima asked, pouring some alcohol into a shot glass.

First day? Oh, right. She was impersonating an employee here. "How did you know?"

"I haven't seen you around before." There's that smile again, all sunshine and rainbows. "I would have definitely remembered a face like yours."

Does any normal high schooler say such ridiculously embarrassing lines as naturally as that? Is this how all those girls swooned into his lap? He offered her a glass of cloudy white liquid, and she stared at it vacantly for a second.

"You look like you could use a drink."

Damn, was she really so obvious? Yoshino took the tiny glass gingerly from his hand, holding it up as the condensation dripped down to the sticky table.

"Bottoms up," she murmured, before tossing it back. Yoshino barely tasted it, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as a tingling warmth settled in her stomach. It's a good thing she's had alcohol before. Not that she's a heavy drinker by any means, but she's been around it enough to know how easy it was to lose her senses. Liquid courage was something she likely desperately needed to soothe her frayed nerves, but it was probably best for her to not indulge any further. She can't be too tipsy if she was going to get him to open up to her- not that she knew (sober or drunk) what she was supposed to say.

"Thank you," she managed, "for helping me back there."

"It's my pleasure," he said smoothly. "Anything to help out a pretty girl like you."

She guessed she could see how girls would fall for a guy like him. He wasn't bad to look at, he was polite and attentive, and compliments poured out of him as easily as water through a sieve. For a guy who was an unapologetic two-timing player, he really didn't come off as sleazy as she imagined he would. The most player-like thing about him so far was that Kirishima moved and talked like someone who was keenly aware of his own allure, something he probably leveraged to his advantage. He also displayed remarkable ease the few times he engaged her in conversation, and despite her nerves, (eh, the alcohol probably helped too) found herself relaxing marginally into her seat. His aura wasn't dominating or pushy- quite the opposite in fact- but there was some element of magnetism in the way he carried himself. It was strange though, trying to process the visual dichotomy that was Kirishima Miyama. Despite his business attire, there was still a softness to his cheeks and a lankiness to his legs to betray how he was only still a teenager growing into an adult.

"You look too young to be here."

Whoops, she sounded more melancholy than she meant to in that statement. Kirishima stared at her blankly for a beat before smiling again, that irritatingly radiant expression making her hackles rise even more than it did from the photos. "You're too young too."

How does he- does he know? "What do you mean?"

He refilled her glass, dragging out the silence until she's practically vibrating in her seat.

When he placed a full glass in front of her, Kirishima nodded toward her mobile phone charm. "That omamori, it's for exam success isn't it? You look too mature for middle school, so I'm assuming you're in high school, likely studying for college entrance exams."

He's sharp, much more perceptive than she initially pinned him to be. It was a disquieting revelation.

"I could be in college," she argued back.

"Hmm," he hummed non-committedly. "You could be."

Yoshino got the feeling that he was only humoring her. This guy- maybe she needed to be a bit more careful about how she presented herself. He might find out that they attend the same high school and who knows what kind of trouble that would bring.

She was so lost in thought she almost jumped out of her skin at an unexpected touch (again!) cradling her hand, the grip light but steady. She found Kirishima even closer now, way closer than she would've liked, his face hovering so close to her captured hand that she could feel his breath whispering against her skin.

"I've always liked older women," he mused, his thumb running gently across her knuckles. His hands were more calloused than she expected— maybe he played a sport. "They seem to know how to mess me up."

"Mess you up?" The fuck does that mean?

"Would you like to try?" From this angle, Yoshino couldn't even see the distance between her hand and his lips anymore; the only thing keeping her from decking him to the floor was the acute awareness that his lips had not touched her hand yet.

"Try to mess you up?" She was starting to feel like a stupid parrot. And did her voice just go up three octaves?

"Or I can mess you up. I'm up for either," he shrugs. "Why don't we see who messes up who first?"

Ah, there it was. A cheshire grin had danced across his face, so quickly that it almost felt like a mirage. It was so fleeting that she wasn't even sure she actually saw it.

A wolf. In sheep's clothing.

She wasn't sure how she would have answered him—maybe she would've just punched him and this whole charade could have been over— because a loud knock at the door startled them both. She immediately yanked her hand back.

"Oi, Kirishima."

The man at the door was clearly Not Good News. He definitely didn't even look like he was in high school— way too damn old for that. Not to mention, the ink peeping behind the man's sleeves was a dead giveaway for the yakuza. How did Kirishima know a guy like that? Wasn't this situation just supposed to be about punishing a cheating player? Just what the hell did she get herself into?

"Ah, Tachibana-san, you've got some bad timing." Kirishima's smiling demeanor was back in place.

"Stop playing around. We got work to do."

"Right, right," Kirishima acknowledged, carefully rolling back his sleeves. However, despite his companion's grumbling, his movements were unhurried, and he took a moment to turn to her as he was standing up. "Excuse me."

What? Was he leaving just like that?

"W-wait!"

He looked almost taken aback when she grabbed his arm. She wasn't sure who was more surprised, Kirishima or herself. Grabbing onto his arm was way more an automatic reaction than it was a planned thought. Maybe it was because she had already dedicated so much time to the cause; she did wait three weeks for this one moment. And to have him walk away without any tangible result, even with her gut screaming for her to drop it all and run away, was too much to give up.

Though she wasn't really sure how to proceed now.

"Uh…" she artfully trailed off.

Fuck, maybe she should have read up a manual on how to be a femme fatale. Luckily (or unluckily) for her, he just seemed slightly amused.

"Where's your phone?" he asked.

She unlocked her phone and handed it to him without a word. After a few moments, he handed it back; her phone screen was calling an unknown number. Kirishima held his own phone up, the mobile screen clearly ringing.

"I'll text you…" he trailed off expectantly. She realized he was waiting for her name. Right, they technically haven't introduced themselves yet.

"Yoshino." Oh shit, should she have used an alias? Hah, too late now.

"Kirishima." She was rewarded with a blinding smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Yoshino gave a heavy sigh, stuffing her face with another bite of chocolatey goodness. Was this delectable taste of heaven even worth the trouble anymore?

It had been a few days since she had successfully made contact with Kirishima at the club. The ex-girlfriend trio were nothing short of ecstatic.

"Now it's time for step two of Operation Kill Kirishima Miyama!" The angry girl- her name was Tamako- exclaimed. "Reel him in! Play hot and cold!"

What did that even mean?

Yoshino started researching online exactly what it meant to be a femme fatale, but most articles weren't helpful. And then some results started getting risqué, and she hurriedly exited out of those, eye twitching as she tried to dispel the mental imagery.

She wasn't going to go that far. At least she hoped she wouldn't.

From how all the ex-girlfriends talked about him, Kirishima was very good in bed. She could see that- his wolf yellow eyes probably missed nothing. She didn't think it was all that likely that she'd lose her virginity through this operation- she was determined to share that with someone she actually liked- but it probably wasn't out of the realm of possibility that she would have to kiss Kirishima.

Was she okay with that?

She mulled it over another bite of chocolate cake.

Huh, she wasn't sure. Guess time will tell.

Plus, it wasn't like the guy had texted or called her since then. Maybe the plan wouldn't move forward since he wasn't that interested. Can't do anything about that, right? The thought cheered her up immensely.

Her phone trilled, lighting up. Yoshino absentmindedly looked over at the screen, expecting Shouma or Tsubaki.

KM: Are you free this weekend?

Ah, the gods were conspiring against her.

The teenager laid back on the couch, sucking on her fork as she stared at the text. Guess it was happening after all. Which unfortunately meant she would have to think a bit more seriously about what she would do next.

Kirishima was clearly involved with the yakuza. He probably wasn't an official member— high school was too young. But his self assuredness and the flash of that predatory grin made a lot more sense now. Probably something of a business hazard.

It's not like Yoshino was a stranger to the darker side of life. Her grandfather back in Osaka was definitely involved in all sorts of shady business, but had done a very careful job of keeping her shielded from that world. She wasn't sure about how involved her grandfather was in the underworld, but she also hadn't thought it was important enough to pry into.

At least until now.

There was no doubt that it was a bad idea to let the girls know about this hiccup. In all honesty, because of the enigma and uncertainty around Kirishima, Yoshino was heavily tempted to give up. Maybe she could just delete this text and lie to the ex-girlfriends that she never heard from him again?

Her stomach rumbled ominously.

Alright fine, it would've been easier to walk away if she hadn't already finished one whole cake over the course of this operation. She already had another one sitting in the fridge that she was very reluctant to part with. Those girls were nothing if not prompt, delivering cake on the dot every two weeks, complete with plenty of hearts and thank you notes.

Yoshino heaved another heavy sigh, glaring down at her stomach.

"You," she brandished the fork menacingly at her tummy, "are going to be the death of me."

There was no answering rumble.

She read the text again, contemplating. And then after a moment, swiftly tapped out a quick message.

YS: Yeah I'm free.

Hah, fuck she's exhausted.

Yoshino rose from her crouched position on the floor, mostly because she was starting to get a few strange looks from passersby and also because her dress was getting wrinkled.

Goddammit, how is it possible that anyone is so tight-lipped about their own life? They've met up twice already over the past few weeks and she's still nowhere in terms of knowing anything more about Kirishima. All of his answers to her questions were so bland, and honestly, other than their first meeting at the club, it felt a bit like she was the only one carrying the conversation. With her being a complete dating virgin, she had nothing to compare it to other than his ex-girlfriends' testimonies, but even that was pretty much useless in predicting his next move. According to them, Kirishima didn't really have a MO when it came to his dating style- he seemed to tailor the experience to whatever his current girlfriend's desires were. In fact, the only thing his ex-girlfriends knew in great detail were his preferences in bed and what the fuck was she supposed to do with information like that-?

"Yoshino!"

She whipped her head around to see the object of her ire waving cheerily from across the plaza. The auburn haired teen weakly waved back.

Today, their date was at a mall. There were several things she still needed for her new Tokyo apartment, so she figured this was like hitting two birds with one stone. The first thing on her list was a hairdryer, which she should have enough cash for—

Her empty wallet stared back at her.

"Sorry, I'll be right back!" she held up her hand just as he got within arm's reach. "I forgot cash so I'm just going to go to a nearby ATM."

"Huh?" Kirishima was in a hoodie and jeans. It made him actually look his age. "I thought I was paying for today."

"Wha— no, way! It's okay! You've already paid for the last two dates." Even when she had tried paying for her share, he was already two steps ahead of her. "If you pay for me here too, I'm going to be the bothered one!"

"Is that so? I never thought of it like that though…"

"I-I'll be right back! Stay right there!" She didn't even wait to hear his response before she made a beeline for where she last saw an ATM. Pretty sure she saw one in the window of a 7-11 a block down from where she was. Ah, how annoying! Why didn't she remember to check her wallet before heading out today—?

"Ooh— hold on there Miss, your dress is hiked up a bit!"

"What!" Yoshino immediately slapped down the back of her dress, looking for the errant edges to tug back down. Oh my god, she hoped she wasn't walking around like that for too long—!

Wait. Huh, it was fine…?

"My bad, my bad, I think I was just seeing things." A voice she didn't recognize spoke up from right behind her. The high schooler whirled around in surprise to see three men towering over her. Woah, so close!

"Wow, miss, you're really cute!" One of them leaned over, his cigarette dangling between his fingers. "Are you going out to play? Or maybe to work?"

"No, er, I'm not…" Ugh, they reeked of alcohol.

"Where you going right now?" the other guy with a perm asked. "Shall we escort you?"

"Escort me?" This was confusing. Why were these strangers offering to—oh!

Oh, wow. Was she being hit on? Was— was this what it feels like to be picked up? It was hard to determine whether she felt more horrified or excited by this milestone—

"Oi, are you listening?" A rough grab of her shoulders jostled her from her thoughts.

"Eh?"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it." She was being steered forcefully away from the bustling streets, and instead was being pushed towards one of the shadowed alleyways. Shit, maybe this situation was less innocuous than she thought. "We're escorting you, remember?"

"I'm sorry, this is a bit…" She tugged at the hand on her shoulder. Maybe they would back off if she mentioned Kirishima? "I have someone waiting for me—"

"Everything's fine!" They were very obviously pushing her towards the shadows now. "Just come along without making a scene!"

"If you scream, we'll kill you so just come along quietly."

"Hah?" Were these people serious? She had a stun gun in her purse if it came down to it, but it was annoying that she'd have to use it. "What are you—?"

A resounding crash followed by the cascading tinkle of glass reverberated throughout the alley. She knew she wasn't the only one who heard it because the arm on her shoulder was frozen stiff. Yoshino peered behind her.

Kirishima was peeling one of the guy's face off the floor; dark red blood gushed down the unfortunate soul's slack jawed mouth. Even as Kirishima tugged the guy's body forward with a fistful of hair- clearly painful- the poor man didn't make a sound.

"Wha-what are you doing?" the man who had his arm slung over her shoulder had taken a step back, gaping.

"Yoshino," the corners of Kirishima's mouth were upturned as usual, but it sent a chill down her spine. "Come over here."

End Note: I lied about the update schedule... but it's a happy lie, right? I'll see how far I can take this ^^